DSO Assistant Conductor (Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador) Na’Zir McFadden will conduct DSO musicians in program featuring music by Marquez, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Dvořák, and more
This event is free and open to the public, no tickets required
Detroit, (October 15, 2024) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) continues to support its commitment to the growth and well-being of the City of Detroit with a family musical experience at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 23. Part of the DSO’s Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, the Fall Fest: Let’s Dance! event is free and open to the public.
The Fall Fest begins at 5:30 p.m., and family members of all ages are invited to participate in energetic music and dance activities, interactive instrument explorations, immersive art-making, and more before the concert. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. as conductor Na’Zir McFadden (DSO Assistant Conductor, Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador) leads the DSO in a program featuring works by Marquez, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Dvořák, and more. With syncopated rhythms and flowing melodies in the music, audiences are invited to get on their feet and dance.
The event is part of the DSO’s Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, which is a community-driven process of dialogue and planning, resulting in cultural partnerships that enrich the community and musical experiences that align with the priorities of Detroit residents.
This event will take place on Wednesday, October 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Redeemer Presbyterian Church (4800 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48208). This concert is sponsored by the General Motors Corporation and is presented in partnership with the City of Detroit's Office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship. This event is free and open to the public; no ticket reservations are required.
DETROIT NEIGHBORHOOD INITIATIVE: REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Wednesday, October 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Redeemer Presbyterian Church (4800 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48208)
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
Let the syncopated rhythms and flowing melodies of Marquez, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Dvořák, and more get your toes tapping as the DSO explores music created to make you move.
Family fun for all ages begins at 5:30 p.m. Join in music and dance activities, instrument explorations, art-making, and much more! The DSO performance begins at 7 p.m.
This event is FREE and tickets are not required to attend.
This musical experience is generously sponsored by the General Motors Corporation.
About Na’Zir McFadden
American conductor Na’Zir McFadden is the Assistant Conductor and Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
McFadden also serves as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra. Together they’ll present three programs—exploring the masterworks of Sibelius, Schubert, Beethoven, Takashi Yoshimatsu, and Einojuhani Rautavaara.
Establishing his presence on the classical music scene, the 2024–25 season includes debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and The No Name Pops (formerly the Philly Pops) at Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. He’ll also return to the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Ballet, in addition to several engagements with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
This past summer, McFadden was invited by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as one of two 2024 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows. As a fellow, he conducted the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in numerous performances, and participated in masterclasses led by Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Thomas Wilkins, and Dima Slobodeniouk.
In the 2022–23 season, he made his subscription debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, alongside bass-baritone Davóne Tines and clarinetist Anthony McGill. In March of 2024, he conducted the DSO’s Classical Roots program, premiering two new works by composers Billy Childs and Shelley Washington.
Other career highlights have included debuts with the North Carolina Symphony, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Ballet. Additionally, McFadden led a recording project with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago—featuring Hilary Hahn as co-collaborator and soloist.
In 2020, McFadden was named the inaugural Apprentice Conductor of the Philadelphia Ballet; a position he held until 2022. He also served as the Robert L. Poster Conducting Apprentice of the New York Youth Symphony from 2020 to 2021.
At the age of 16, Na’Zir conducted his hometown orchestra—The Philadelphia Orchestra—in their “Pop-Up” series, meeting their Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who has been a mentor ever since. The Philadelphia Inquirer praised his “great stick [baton] technique and energetic presence on the podium” in their concert review.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.